If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Can a hammock be too long?

Hey guys, my brother and I are attempting our first diy hammocks. On his hammock the length before we sewed and gathered the end together was about 11' 7" and it ended up about 10' 5" i think. I decided to leave my material length a little longer so it would end up at 11'. After I sewed it up and gathered the end it is 11' 5". Do you think this is too long? My tarp is 12'. I'm really just curious from a comfort standpoint if there would be any arguments either way. I just finished it last night and it was raining so I haven't actually got to lay in it yet. This will be my first real hammock anyway so I won't have anything to compare to. We are having a blast messing around with the thread injector.

It won't become uncomfortable with more length for sure. Just bulkier, heavier, require trees further apart and as you mentioned, potential tarp issues. 2.5 inches of coverage on either side will work, but its close and will have more issues than usual if there's wind.

I have a 12' DIY Hammock I got from another forum member, and I love it. It is so comfortable, and you find the sweet spot right away. Also, it fits under my tarp with no problem since you allow for the 30 degree angle.

Thanks, I finally got to try it out. It seems pretty comfortable and it did seem to have a more natural sweet spot than the one foot shorter hammock my brother made. Now I've got to figure out a way to tie off my ridgeline on the ends. Is there any special knots you like to use. A permanent set up is fine with me. Right now I'm using a brownell string loop material for tying string loops on bow strings. It's pretty strong but I have some amsteel on the way to replace. When I was laying in the hammock the ridgeline slipped down on one end slid down the hammock a few inches. It definitely added a lot more tension in the hammock through the calf area.

I make mine 9' before finishing. The sweet spot is very defined, a little bit out of it and you know it. Longer means a larger sweet spot. If you have the room and the tarp to cover it, then it isn't too long. If you are a gram weenie like me it is WAY too long.

Longer hammocks, trees further apart, AND straps higher on the trees, and you can only reach so high without "assistance", sticks, hiking poles, standing on your buddy's shoulders, big rocks...........